Sorry if this has been posted already somewhere in the forums (and I just couldn't find it).

I'm new to ADV riding. I have a Vstrom 650 and plan to try some of the ORBDR and WABDR this coming after-the-snow-melts season.

Unless I can find riding buddies, I'll be trying short sections on my own at first (day trips) - I'm lucky to live close enough to a couple of the WABDR sections, and have a trip planned to Bend mid-June and plan to try parts of Section 4 of the ORBDDR (like that since it crosses major highways a few times in the 1st half going West to East). Then building up to multi-day trips on the WABDR, most likely.

I could carry everything on my bike including the kitchen sink, but wonder what are the key essentials for any mechanical issues and safety/first aid issues (no point in the extra weight of stuff that I won't need).

Here are some things that I assume I'll need:
-Moto in good maintenance condition before I go (duh)
-Plenty of food/water in case I get stuck and can't ride out (and hiking boots for a potentially long walk
-tool kit in bike and other tools that would be important (need some input here on other critical tools for the vStrom 650)
-riding gear for all kinds of weather (hot, cold, dry, wet)
-tires in good shape (plan on using Heidenau K60 scouts)
-going to get a SPOT for emergencies - $100 is really cheap for that kind of safety backup plan.
-zumo gps (and map/compass as a backup)
-flat repair stuff (rasp and string tool, strings, slime compressor, bicycle pump as backup....really hope I won't need that)

-some sort of first aid stuff, but really need input on what to get.

So what should I also bring? I'm a firm believer in planning for the unplanned worst case scenario, particularly when on your own.

Tip #1: Practice flat repair now. Don't wait to employ your kit when you're on the road for the first time. I've seen this too and it's a circus.

Tip #2: Practice removing your front and rear wheel to be able to remove the tires and remove/replace a tube. By doing this you will discover the mechanics of this process and the tools you will need to do so. I was in Big Bend last weekend and a rider in my group of 3 never did this and thus didn't realize he didn't have the socket to remove his front axle. My socket didn't fit. I got his axle off after I flagged down a passing Far Flung Adventure jeep and used their lug nut wrench.

Tip #2a: If you have a tubeless tire, practice with your string kit on a spare tire. You won't be able to hammer a nail or easily drive a screw into it without drilling a hole (trust me). Commence to using your tire kit on this practice road hazard as if you were by yourself in the boonies. I recommend Safety Seal tire strings (and their road hazard kit). They make both "regular" and "slim" strings. Carry both.

Tip #3: Practice tips 1 and 2 once per year. Tire removal/repair/tube exchange is a perishable skill and should be renewed annually. This also ensures you remind yourself to police your "tire kit" to be sure you have the things you need. There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to be fast and slick on tire removal.

Tip #4: For tubed tires, carry at least one front and one spare tube and use these immediately in the event of a flat. In other words, don't patch the original tube and put it back in. Put the new tube in and patch the one that came out. This patched tube is now your spare. If you've checked your tire carcass carefully to ensure there are no burrs in it, it's highly likely your new tube will be fine until you arrive at your campsite or hotel, that's when you patch the removed punctured tube. The patch will set nicely and you will have a fully functioning spare again. DO NOT SLIME TUBES. Slime tubes might be ok in some situations to seal punctures but if they lose air they will NOT HOLD A PATCH. Once you remove a slimed tube from a wheel it ceases to be a viable spare tube.

Tip #5: Leave your bicycle pump dealio at home. You won't have room for it. Test your slime pump before each trip and leave the rest to fate. Carrying backups for everything in a No0b mistake. It will be a bulky item that you shouldn't have to use - because you checked your Slime pump like a good boy.

I personally know three inmates who have used SPOT in dire emergencies and it has gotten their ass out of a sling.

And +1 on the tracking feature. Tricewife likes that - it makes her happy to be able to "see" where I am whenever she chooses.

Keeping Tricewife happy keeps me in motos and travel time. Fair deal.

Ditto!!!

If you're not married then you do not need to worry about anything but your own skin..........which if not worth the small cost of this nanny device then more power to you.....what if.....is all I need to worry about. It's not as if you need to do anything but push a button every time you start your bike to make it work. The come get me feature is priceless....no? But more importantly.....keeping your better half happy while you are off in far off lands is far more impotant IF you want to keep going and leaving her at home.....waiting for that call in the middle of the night.....saying....Mrs. .....we have some bad news.....

But I'm sure you are just being a dick.....and really know the benefit of such a device.....

Tire repair stuff and broken lever stuff. As stated above, you need to know how to do this yourself, and know your kit is sufficient. I remember one time checking my portable compressor when I was at home and it turns out the compressor was dead. I was riding with the thing for months and months. Also, taking tires off, putting tubes in, putting tires back on is usually a huge PIA and it will take you a very long time if it is your first time - this is assuming your kit is actually sufficient.

You should be aware what easily breaks on your bike in minor crashes and be ready for it.

Food and water? I don't see any info on ORBDDR/WABDR but that seems ridiculous, and so do hiking boots.

Food and water? I don't see any info on ORBDDR/WABDR but that seems ridiculous, and so do hiking boots.

Thanks for the other tips, but as a former Army guy, I think you ALWAYS need to have basic survival stuff in the boonies....food/water at a minimum, and paper map and compass so I can start walking if all the electronics fail. And the ability to create some sort of emergency shelter (or good clothing) can save your butt when the weather gets ugly (something to keep you warm and dry....hypothermia is a killer...as is hyperthermia where water is critical for survival, but less likely in my part of the world... mountains, not desert). If you're really unlucky and everyting goes wrong in the middle of one of the sections of the WABRD/ORBDR, you can be 60 miles from a highway, as I'm reading the map.

military rule of thumb: 3/3/3 3 minutes of no oxygen to the brain, 3 days of no water, 3 weeks of no food - general human limits.

Since we're talking a motorcycle that can easily carry a few extra pounds, not backpacking, I can't see any reason for not taking basic food/water/protection. If you ever read up on how people die in the wilderness, it's a combination of poor preparation and a number of cumulative small mistakes. No one goes into the boonies thinking it'll be a life-threatening situation, and for 99% of the people it will never happen, but if you're the unlucky 1%, preparation can be the difference of being miserable but home, or your family getting that phone call.

But I suppose this way of thinking is just something that was drilled into me during my military time. Murphy is a bastard about things going wrong at the worst possible time.

When was the last time a motorcycle rider died doing ORBDR and WABDR because they ran out of water or food? My guess is never. It's a popular route and you're probably doing it during high season when there are other people on the route as well. The longest span between gas stations is listed at 122 miles so the worst case scenario is being 61 miles away from help. But there are ranger stations, camp grounds, hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, etc along the way in those 61 miles. And you have creeks/etc along the way in case of desperation and unlikely scenario that you don't see other tourists during the day.

In other words, you're not trekking through some wilderness where you can get lost and never see any civilization. You are still on what appears to be a very well traveled trail. Even by the 3/3/3 metric, do you really think that you will break down and sit by the road for 3 weeks with no food before someone else passes through? Or 3 days without water? To me, this doesn't look like being prepared as much as being paranoid. However, I have done neither ORBDR nor WABDR so you could be right.... But I do know that extra pounds on the bike = harder and less fun riding. If this isn't an issue for you and you don't mind carrying all the extra weight, you might as well bring it if it gives you piece of mind.... sometimes psychological benefits are worth it.

BTW, this does remind me of one motorcyclist dying in this sort of fashion. Evan Tanner (famous UFC fighter) was camping and dirtbiking in some desert where his dirtbike ran out of gas and he died from heat exposure. (He died only 2 miles away from his campsite... I guess he couldn't find it.)